domestic transfer to international-check in again?
Apr 6, 2017, 9:37 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
domestic transfer to international-check in again?
I'm flying from CAN to TAO to Japan. But China Eastern said they cannot check my bag through so I have to recheck in at TAO.
Is this the norm in China? Or is it cause TAO is a minor airport (compared to Shanghai, Beijing, etc)?
Is this the norm in China? Or is it cause TAO is a minor airport (compared to Shanghai, Beijing, etc)?
Apr 7, 2017, 9:04 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Well, I saw everybody else also there, waiting in the terminal for China Eastern to open their check-in counter. Which literally took hours, as they don't open til 100 minutes prior to departure.
Except that unlike the locals I had no internet access cause it is China (they require you to have a phone number to send a message to for the "free wifi". And there is no way to get a passcode otherwise, as far as I know)
Except that unlike the locals I had no internet access cause it is China (they require you to have a phone number to send a message to for the "free wifi". And there is no way to get a passcode otherwise, as far as I know)
Apr 7, 2017, 2:39 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
It is standard procedure in China to use your final departing location from Chinese soil, as the Exit Immigration and Customs processing point. In your example, CAN-TAO as a standard domestic segment, then TAO as your China exit point. Since you have to take your possessions through Exit Customs by hand, the airline could not through-check your luggage at CAN to USA. While theoretically you should be able to do all this Exit procedure at CAN and just do TAO as a connection, in practice the physical setup of the airports and their process of handling baggage makes this difficult.
While there are a few exceptions on certain airlines on certain routes in China where one can do a domestic + international and get the luggage checked through, it is currently uncommon.
On the relatively brief advance check-in period: this is very common at smaller Chinese airports or airports where an airline doesn't have a hub operation. Usually 2 hours in advance is about what you get and arriving even earlier means sitting around waiting for staff to show up to open check-in. 100 minutes for an international flight sounds like the staff was late arriving to their posts.
While there are a few exceptions on certain airlines on certain routes in China where one can do a domestic + international and get the luggage checked through, it is currently uncommon.
On the relatively brief advance check-in period: this is very common at smaller Chinese airports or airports where an airline doesn't have a hub operation. Usually 2 hours in advance is about what you get and arriving even earlier means sitting around waiting for staff to show up to open check-in. 100 minutes for an international flight sounds like the staff was late arriving to their posts.
Apr 9, 2017, 2:49 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
Apr 9, 2017, 6:04 pm
#7
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,968
I'm guessing that he was flying to somewhere in Japan that didn't have flights from Guangzhou. I once did HIJ-CAN via NRT, and it was honestly every bit as annoying as a transfer in DLC or TAO.
Apr 9, 2017, 11:34 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
Even if connection flights were the only choices (nonstop not available), I'd generally choose to depart Chinese airspace sooner rather than later, and take my lumps with Japan connnections.
Apr 10, 2017, 5:13 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
I was flying to KIX. There was a non-stop, at 4 times the price. But I see you get what you pay for.
Apr 10, 2017, 6:00 am
#12
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: MPC,CA,MU,AF
Posts: 8,171
I actually meant you can check through your luggage at CAN and transit in HKG. There is a KA flight from CAN-HKG and many flights from HKG-KIX. Transit in HKG is so easy.
Apr 10, 2017, 9:50 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southeast USA
Programs: various
Posts: 6,710
CAN-HKG is a short but usually-expensive little flight add-on unless you get lucky. But 4x price for the nonstop vs the TAO routing is Ouch! I think I'd have gone overland to HKIA and just flown nonstop from there.
Apr 10, 2017, 10:06 am
#14
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Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 41,968
Given the 4x multiple, I would probably fly to TAO or DLC the night before, and enjoy either... go back to the airport just in time for my flight. Both airports are very good for Japan/Korea operations (one of the main reasons CA and MU rely on them so heavily).
Apr 10, 2017, 4:20 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
The flight from TAO was practically empty. Everyone had their own row. So I can see why it is so cheap.
But I find it interesting how CZ is so much more expensive than MU (I mean, on other flighta from China as well when I have searched before). Did it become China's premium airline?
But I find it interesting how CZ is so much more expensive than MU (I mean, on other flighta from China as well when I have searched before). Did it become China's premium airline?
